


Vegetarianism and Me...

by unknowableroom_archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Marauders' Era, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-09-22
Updated: 2007-09-22
Packaged: 2019-01-19 12:11:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12410076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unknowableroom_archivist/pseuds/unknowableroom_archivist
Summary: ONE SHOT - This is a snippet just after the boy's have become animagi. Poor James...the unsuccessful 15year old with Sirius Black for a best mate!





	Vegetarianism and Me...

**Author's Note:**

> Note from ChristyCorr, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Unknowable Room](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Unknowable_Room), a Harry Potter archive active from 2005-2016. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after May 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Unknowable Room collection profile](http://www.archiveofourown.org/collections/unknowableroom).

**This is just a little 5th year snippet straight after the Marauders have managed their animagus transformations for the first time and James is having some trouble adjusting. This includes a little bit of Lily too, and seen as though it's early 5th year she's not too receptive...**

  
 

For nearly ten minutes James stared at the large joint of beef in front of him on the table, then at his friends who were eating very enthusiastically and then back to the beef. There was a very strange feeling in his stomach that was nothing to do with hunger.

"Prongs? Are you gonna eat or sit open mouthed all dinner?" asked Sirius who had finally raised his gaze from his plate.

"I...err..." He felt sick as he watched Sirius shove another slice of beef into his mouth.

Peter surprised everyone by stopping eating long enough to say "You've not caught site of Elouise Jenkins' knickers again have you?"

Suddenly Sirius seemed to perk up, looking around him. "Where? Let me see!"

"See what?" asked Remus after he'd gulped down some pumkin juice.

"Elouise Jenkins' undergarments, Prongs spotted them again." replied Peter conversationally as he spooned mashed potato into his mouth.

Rolling is eyes Remus turned his attention to James. "Honestly Prongs. For someone who supposedly got to grope Helen Bell you sure are a bit too fascinated by knickers, no matter how pink and frilly you say they are."

Sirius had turned back around wearing a frown. "Well if her knickers were on show they're not now. Can't see a bloody thing now. Why is it girls seem to show their knickers to the world whenever I'm looking the other way? Or distracted? It's a curse, I tell ya."

Laughing Remus commented "Oh poor you and your curse...it _must_ be _hellish_ for you."

"Oh but it is Moony!" exclaimed Sirius with the hint of a smile on his otherwise overly dramatised face. "You've no idea! All I want, no _need_ , is to glimpse knickers...just a little peek every now and again...you know, to help tide me over until I can get my hands on May's. And I don't reckon she'd be too pleased flashing 'em in the dinner hall. Prefer's broom closest's does May."

While Remus rolled his eyes Peter shunted closer to Sirius. "Did she let you...you know," he winked "last night?"

"I'm sure I've no idea what you mean Wormtail." answered Sirius, sitting up straight, sticking his nose in the air and pulling a snobbish face.

Unsure as to whether he wanted to know the details of Sirius' late night cavorting with his new Hufflepuff girlfriend, Remus turned to see that James hadn't begun to eat yet. He leant in and spoke softly. "Are you not feeling well James?"

At the sound of his voice James looked up. "I err...no, I don't think I am."

Nodding in understanding Remus sat back up straight and motioned to the food in front of him. "You should eat, you know. Even when I feel crap and find I've no appetite I always feel better for something to eat."

James stared back at the joint of meat. "I...I...I don't think I can."

After shaking off Peter's very probing questions Sirius frowned at his best friend. "Why can't you eat Prongs? You gonna be sick of something?"

A few moments went by before James finally pointed at the beef between him an Sirius. "Th...that's a cow."

It only took a second for Sirius to start laughing. "Well done mate! Well done!" He picked up a roast potato and asked, in a very condecending voice "And what's this, little Jamie?"

James scowled. "Shut up Padfoot you great twonk! I meant...you know...it's a cow, well it was a cow."

"Yes? And?"

"And!" retorted James getting annoyed now. How could he eat it? "It was a creature not so long ago...moving around, eating grass..."

"Your point being?" asked Sirius as he stuffed the roast potato he'd been waving around into his mouth.

Now James lowered his voice, but it still came out forcefull. " _I_ was a creature not so long ago! Moving around and eating grass!"

Sirius didn't seem to understand and neither did Peter, though Remus went "Aaah." and then added "But we're not eating you though, are we?"

James looked scandalized. "No, but it's not as if people don't!"

Pondering this, Remus understood where James was coming from.

"Excuse me..." interjected Sirius quietly. "Are you affraid we're gonna eat you?"

"No." muttered James through clenched teeth. "That's not what I meant! I meant that I can't eat this cow because if I did it would be like...eating a relative."

For a moment Sirius' eyes glassed over. "I'd like to eat Regulus; see the look on my dear mother's face as I ate her favourite son! Though I'm not sure he'd taste very nice."

"Padfoot! Can you at least not joke, for one minute?"

"Who was joking?" he added with a sly grin, shooting his younger brother a sideways glance across the hall.

Peter sniggered quietly before he turned back to James. "So what are you saying?"

"I'M SAYING..." he said loudly but lowered his voice carefully. "I'm saying that I'm not prepared to have something so very like 'Prongs' killed and roasted and put on my plate."

"You want to become a vegetarian?" asked Remus, his eyebrows raised.

James nodded. "Yes...I think I do."

This made Sirius snigger but Peter gaped."But...but...sausages? Bacon? Meat and potato pie? You love them. They're too good to give up! Think what you're saying Prongs! It means vegetables...that's it! Vegetables for the rest of your life. How could you do that to yourself?"

"He can eat cake's and things too Wormtail!" said Sirius rolling his eyes. "Last time I checked the bakewell tart hasn't got chunks of animal stuffed into it."

"I know that!" replied Peter annoyed by the way Sirius was speaking to him as though he was five. "It's just, for his dinners...he'll not be able to even have chicken gravy!"

"You can get vegetable gravy." commented Remus matter-of-factly. "Lily has it made special for her."

At the mention of this name James seemed to become alert. "Lily? As in Evans?"

Sirius disguised a chuckle behind his hand as Peter nudged him and sniggered. They were all acutely aware of James' interest in their fellow fifth year Gryffindor.

Remus kept his voice pleasant and calm, though he kept his eyes away from the two silently laughing boys across the table. "Yes, Lily Evans. She's a veggie, you know."

"Really?" asked James distractedly as he searched the Gryffindor table for the petite red head.

"Oh yes." continued Remus conversationally. "She doesn't believe in eating meat. Hate's having to use animal parts in Potion's too...doesn't like having to use dragon hyde gloves for Herblogy...quite a little 'friend of the forest' is Miss Evans."

James watched her raise a sprig of brocolli to her mouth but lower it because one of her friends had made her laugh. Then he turned and glared suspiciously at Remus. "How'd you know all this?"

Putting his hands up as if to surrender Remus replied "I have to talk to her when we patrol for our prefect duties. We can't walk about the castle in complete silence!"

"Oh." mumbled James, losing some ferociousness. "I suppose not."

"You know what this means, don't you Prongs?!" said Sirius across the table loftily.

"No, what?"

He cast an amused look at his other friends before saying "You and Lily Evans are obviously meant to be!"

Peter couldn't help snorting his juice out of his nose, winning him some disgusted glances from some seventh year girls sat near by. He mopped it up with the napkin handed to him by Remus and embarassedly stared onto his nearly empty plate.

"Shut up Padfoot." retorted James who was now blushing quite noticably.

Remus leant close again and said "You should ask her about it you know."

"What?! About him being in love with her!" Sirius all but wailed as he began laughing quite haughtily. He was pleased when Peter joined in.

"Padfoot! I'm not in love with her you prat!" yelled James, mortified beyond belief as some people turned round to find out who was making the commotion, and who was in love with who.

Peter was a funny colour when he struggled to say "We believe you...we believe you."

Keeping his voice level Remus added "Thousands wouldn't, but _we_ believe you."

As he watched the only one of his friends who wasn't in hysterics give in and laugh along James felt like hexing them all. Nearly the whole Gryffindor table was looking at them, muttering to their neighbours behind hands. He felt like he was a freak show and thought he must have looked like one with the colour his cheeks most probably were. And then to top it all of _she_ was watching too. He tried to smile at her but couldn't bring himself to. Instead he folded his arms on the table and banged his forehead against them groaning loudly.

"Now Prongs, don't be like that." said Remus as he faught to control his laughter. "We're only teasing."

"Yeah mate!" added Sirius who was holding his sides. "Beside's you gave me some right stick when I started dating May!"

James lifted his forehead off his arms and placed his chin there instead, and glared at his friends. 

Leaning in Sirius muttered "The death glare doesn't have the same effect when you're blushing like a girl." and with that they all decended into a laughing mess, even James who really would have liked to have hexed them all but reasoned that they were mates, and you didn't hex your mates. 

\-------------------------------------------

 

That evening the four Marauders were gathered on some armchairs to the left of the fire in the Gryffindor common room. Remus was looking over Peter's History of Magic essay, Peter was watching Remus, Sirius was waving his wand at a small rubber imitation bludger that was whizzing around his head and James was trying hard not to glance into the corner at a very pretty red haired fifth year talking with some seventh years. He was not being very successful.

Not looking up from the parchment in front of him Remus spoke, in a very light and conversational tone. "Why don't you go over there and talk to her? She doesn't bite."

James' gaze snapped back down to his hands, his cheeks red and his feet fidgety. "Err...whassat?"

Chuckling Sirius let the mini-bludger drop and leant over to his best mate. "Come on Prongsie! I dare ya to go talk to her!"

"Double dare you!" said Peter excitedly.

"Triple dare you." added Remus in the same conversational manner.

"He's scared." concluded Sirius with a laugh.

"I am not!" shot back James, looking at his best friend's amused face. "I am not scared!"

"Prove. It." said Sirius with the all-too-familiar glint of mischief in his eyes.

Shooting a covert look over to where Lily Evans still sat chatting animatedly with Alice Gibbins, the Head Girl, and some friends, he turned back to Sirius and muttered "She's busy...isn't she?"

"So?" asked Sirius who'd gone back to guiding the bludger around, trying to hit Peter over the head with it. Peter was not so pleased about this and began battering it away with his History of Magic text book. He wolloped it a little too hard and it shot over to the small group by the window and hit Lily on the side of the head. "Ooohh!" Sirius hid behind the back of his chair laughing silently.

Peter hid too. "I didn't mean to do that!" he chuckled.

Only James was unlucky enough to be looking at Lily at the precise time she was looking for the culprit. She looked angry. 

__

'Dam'.

__

"Now's a good chance for you to talk to her." whispered Remus through clenched teeth, as though she would be able to lip read if his mouth had moved properly.

"Yeah, and get my bludger back while you're chatting her up!" added Sirius.

"I'm not gonna chat her up Padfoot! I just want to know about vegetaianism." growled James in the same manner that Remus had spoken in before, his mouth moving the tiniest amount. 

\---------------------------------------

It only took three minutes for James to return to his friends. He all but threw the small imitation bludger at his best friend. "Here's your ruddy bludger back you prat!" He flung himself into his armchair and crossed his arms.

Sirius was trying desperately not to laugh, or grin, but he'd been watching along with the other two boys and found James' behaviour very amusing. "Thanks mate."

There was silence between the four boys until Remus, keeping his light conersational tone, spoke from behind Peter's essay. "So...how'd it go?"

"Shut-the-hell-up!" growled James, knowing full well they had been watching and sniggering behind him.

"Aawww Prongs that's not nice. Moony only asked you a question." said Sirius as his bludger took flight once again. "It's not his fault if you started blushing like the girl you are." He was suddenly hit with a cushion.

"James, come on, it can't have been that bad. Could it?" asked Remus being a little more successful at keeping amusement from his voice.

Sirius decided that he'd get James back for the cushion while he was destracted by Remus so he flicked his wand sending the bludger back over to where Lily Evans was still sitting but looking a little less jolly than she had before. It hit her in the forehead. Quickly Sirius muttered "Prongs! Evans is showing her knickers!" before ducking back behind his chair.

James should have known, but at the time the promise of seeing Evans' knickers clouded his judgement and he looked over at exactly the wrong time with exactly the wrong expression on his face.

It took just five seconds for her to stand, grab a book and make her way over to the group. When she got there she said nothing. James was desperately searching for something charming to say but didn't get the chance as her rather large Herbology book made contact with the side of his head. Then she dropped the bludger in his lap, turned around and stomped up the stairs to the girls dormitory's.

James just sat with his mouth slightly open and his eyes glassed over whilst rubbing the side of his head before noticing the bludger. "PADFOOT!!!"

Scrambling to his feet Sirius got out of the direct line of fire. "It was only a joke mate! She needs to lighten up. I never thought she'd think it was you..."

Remus had to physically stop James from launching himself at Sirius. "Come on Prongs, it was joke."

James just snorted, turned and stormed up to _his_ dorm in order to throw a few things around, make some serious noise and maybe put itching powder in his friend's beds. 

**So? What did you think? Review?**

**I had trouble believing that James would carry on eating meat after becoming Prongs, simply because of the whole deer, vennison, 'people might like to eat me' thing... And Lily being a veggie make's some sense, she is supposed to be very compassionate is she not? Anyway, I like the idea of James being very bad at talking to her when he fancies her but hasn't made a move yet. And Sirius making it difficult...well that goes without saying!**

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
